Judah's adventure in Gen 38 interrupts the story of Joseph (Gen 37-50). A historico-critical approach rightly considers this chapter as a foreign body, whereas redaction criticism tries to explain why the chapter is located in its present place. A narrative critical approach permits us to highlight the narrative ties which bind Gen 38 to its immediate context. Among other connections, the theme of trickery clearly binds it to the episodes of Gen 37 and Gen 39, but also to the dissimulation strategy of Joseph towards his brothers in Egypt (Gen 42-45). Moreover, in the Joseph story, the events narrated in Gen 38 prepare Judah to assume an active role in the family' reconciliation (Gen 43-44)